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Waucoma Timber Sale

Waucoma is the next large project area being examined by the Hood River Ranger District. Located on the northeast corner of Mt. Hood National Forest within the W. Fork Hood River watershed, Waucoma is surrounded by the protected Mark O Hatfield Wilderness to the north and west, and the highly fragmented Longview and Hood River County timberlands to the south and east. The USFS is in the beginning stages of identifying the objectives for the project, which is primarily located in Matrix/Timber Emphasis land allocations, although much of this land is steep, roadless and remote.

Other Forest Service land allocations include a Roaded Recreation area near Ottertail Lake, and a Backcountry Lake area surrounding Black Lake in the western project area. Other existing recreation opportunities include Warren Lake, Mt. Defiance (in photo), and trails currently used by mountain bikers including the Kingsley Wahtum trail. The Waucoma project area includes irrigation infrastructure associated with the Kingsley Reservior, which is also the site of an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) staging area managed by Hood River County.

Bark is participating in the Hood River Stew Crew, which is a collaborative group of many "stakeholders" working to develop management recommendations for this area.

The proposed Waucoma Backcountry Recreation Area will be a unique opportunity to showcase collaboration between diverse advocacy groups to achieve both conservation and recreation goals in Mt. Hood National Forest. By partnering with recreation advocates, Bark is charting a new course to protect the forest, enhance wildlife habitat and create more opportunities for quiet recreation near Mt. Hood.